Ingrid Pollard facts for kids

Ingrid Pollard (born 1953) is a British artist and photographer. She uses photography to explore ideas about what it means to be British. Her work also looks at differences between races.

Pollard is known for taking pictures of black people in the countryside. This challenges the common idea that black people only live in cities. She helped start Autograph, which is the Association of Black Photographers. Ingrid Pollard lives and works in London.

About Ingrid Pollard

Early Life and Education

Ingrid Pollard was born in Georgetown, Guyana, in 1953. When she was about three or four years old, her family moved to the United Kingdom. She grew up in London.

As a child, she noticed family photographs. She started taking her own pictures with her father's camera. As a teenager, she photographed woods and other places for a school project. This was an early sign of her interest in landscapes.

In the early 1980s, Pollard worked at a feminist photography group. She was one of the twenty people who started Autograph ABP in 1988. This group supports black photographers.

Pollard studied film and video at the London College of Printing. She later earned a master's degree in Photographic Studies. In 2016, she received her PhD.

Her Art and Photography

Ingrid Pollard is famous for her photo series from the 1980s. These series explored the idea of black people in the English countryside. Some of her well-known works include Pastoral Interlude and Seaside Series.

She often used things like old postcards or poems by William Wordsworth. She also used hand-tinted photos. These items reminded people of British history and nature. Pollard often added text to her pictures. This text helped explain the political ideas behind her art.

Her work challenges the idea that only white people visit or live in the countryside. It also questions the belief that Black British people are only found in cities.

From 2005 to 2008, Pollard researched the name "Black Boy." This name was once used for some pubs in England. Her research led to a book called Hidden in Public Place. It also led to an exhibition called Spectre of the Black Boy.

Pollard has been an artist in residence at many places. This means she worked as an artist for a period of time at these locations. She has also taught photography at Kingston University.

Awards and Recognition

Ingrid Pollard has received many important awards for her art.

• In 2016, she was given an Honorary Fellowship by the Royal Photographic Society. This is a special honor for her contributions to photography.
• In 2018, she was the first Stuart Hall Associate Fellow at the University of Sussex.
• In 2022, Pollard was one of four artists nominated for the Turner Prize. This is a very famous art award in the UK.
• She was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in 2023. This award is given for services to art.
• In 2024, she received the Hasselblad Award. This is a major international photography prize.

Where Her Work Is Kept

Ingrid Pollard's art is held in several public collections. This means her work is owned by museums and art groups for people to see.

• Arts Council Collection
• Victoria and Albert Museum
• Tate